Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in Louisiana (S-Z)

Becoming a teacher is a worthy thing, but depending on the age of the students you hope to work with, you may want to focus on the top accredited education degree programs in Louisiana in early childhood education. Early childhood education typically focuses on children between the ages of preschool and third grade, though you may work with children in kindergarten up through the fifth grade. These programs offer courses designed to help you work with students and their parents as well as other faculty on staff with you. You’ll even have the chance to do some fieldwork too. To see more accredited education degree programs in Louisiana, visit Early Childhood Education Degree Programs in Louisiana (A-R).

Southeastern Louisiana University

College of Education

Though established in 1925, Southeastern Louisiana University opened as Hammon Junior College, which was an offshoot of a local high school by the same name. Classes even met in some of the rooms open in that school. Once enrollment grew to the point where the high school could not longer accommodate those students, a separate campus opened. This campus would later become SLU. As SLU, the university also added more programs and courses to its curriculum and switched to offering four-year degree programs instead of two-year programs. More than 14,000 students now attend SLU, including just over 1,000 graduate students.

Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education

One of the best accredited education degree programs in Louisiana is the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education that SLU offers. Designed for those who want to work with kids between the ages of preschool and third grade, graduates of the program work as preschool and elementary school teachers as well as in administrative roles. Students must maintain a C grade point average in many of their courses to graduate, and they must do 180 hours of fieldwork observation before they can do any student teaching in the field. SLU requires that students take the PRAXIS exams before they graduate to demonstrate that they have strong teaching skills too. Students must take 36 credits of required education classes and 21 credits of early childhood education classes too. Other required courses include those in English, math and science. Early childhood education majors can take electives from different departments.

Master of Science in Early Childhood Education

Though Southeastern Louisiana University offers a few graduate education programs, you typically need a bachelor’s in education before you can enroll. The university will accept students with a degree in another subject area, but those students will need to take several introductory and lower level education classes first. Its early childhood education program offers several options for students who want to gain professional experience. You can attend a number of conferences and other special events both in the state and across the country, and you can attend guest lectures. The university requires that graduate students keep track of the fieldwork that they do in a portfolio that they will present at the end of their studies. This portfolio must show your classroom experience as well as the experience that you gain working with students. SLU can place you in a school to help you gain experience working with kids up through the third grade.

Southern University at New Orleans

College of Education & Human Development

Southern University at New Orleans, also called SUNO, is one of several historically all black colleges in the south. Like those other schools, SUNO opened and offered opportunities for black students that they could not get anywhere else. It opened in the 1950s as a small branch of a university based out of Baton Rouge. Though only 158 students enrolled in its programs, it now has an enrollment of more than 2,000 students. SUNO received funding from the government and other sources in the 1970s and more modern years that helped it grow significantly, which led to an increase in the programs available.

Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education

The Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education ranks among the best accredited education degree programs in Louisiana and is one of only two education programs offered by SUNO. This program focuses on preparing you for working in public schools and for teaching students who do not yet have strong reading or writing skills. The university also offers a certification program designed for those who have a degree in another field but want to obtain a teaching license in Louisiana. You have the option of taking the PRAXIS exam at the end of your studies, which is a requirement for becoming a teacher. Those who want to work in preschools and similar facilities do not need to take the exam. SUNO will also ask that you do some fieldwork as well as some observation work to ensure that you understand the issues you might face as a teacher in the field.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

College of Education

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is now the largest campus and branch of the University of Louisiana system, but it didn’t start out that way. The university opened in the late 1890s as the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute and primarily offered training programs that prepared students for immediately work in different fields upon graduation. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the school earned the right to call itself a university, which eventually led to it joining the UL system. Also called ULL and UL Lafayette, the university’s enrollment now tops more than 17,000 students.

Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, Grades PK-3

If you hope to teach students of a young age, you should look for accredited education degree programs in Louisiana like this one from UL Lafayette. This program relies heavily on the work done by researcher Jean Piaget and what he called play work. The idea is that kids will learn more and retain more of what they learn when they have fun doing it and when teachers make it seem more like play time than work. Students must do 10 hours of observation or fieldwork in addition to the classes that they take and complete the fieldwork required by the state. The program also includes a number of courses like orientation to teacher education, geometry and measurement for teachers and number sense for teachers. The university expects you to take classes on using technology in the classroom, teaching to students of different backgrounds and teaching reading in primary schools.

University of Louisiana at Monroe

School of Education

The University of Louisiana system is a large public university system that consists of different branches across the state like the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Launched in the 1930s as a junior college, it also operated as a state university and then a junior college again before finally becoming a university. Financial issues led to the university starting a campaign in the early 2000s to help the school raise enough money to stay open. Wit a population of more than 8,000 students, the University of Louisiana at Monroe is one of the state’s largest public colleges.

Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in Early Childhood Education

ULM, which is the name that students use when talking about the college, offers a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in several different majors, including special education, reading and early childhood education. The early childhood education program ranks among the best accredited education degree programs in Louisiana. It also ranks as one of the most affordable education programs in the country and as one of the best online education programs available. Enrolling in the online version of the program is a great way to ensure that you have time for all your professional and personal commitments and obligations while in school. This graduate program focuses more on the administrative work that educators do. You’ll learn how to design a curriculum for the specific kids that you work with and how to adapt that curriculum to include new information. The program includes courses on teaching students different subjects too.

University of New Orleans

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

The University of New Orleans is a large public university in New Orleans that is part of the Urban 13, which is a group of urban college campuses that share resources with each other. Founded in 1956 with an act by the state government, the university opened its doors and began offering classes just two years later. Due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the university closed for several months. It allowed students to take online classes until the campus opened and later added a number of online courses and programs to its catalog. Many students and alumni call the campus UNO.

Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in Early Childhood Education

More than 10,000 students graduated from the education programs offered by UNO, which proves that it offers some of the top accredited education degree programs in Louisiana. The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in Early Childhood Education that the university offers is actually a combination of two different programs. It includes a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education that prepares you for teaching students in first through fifth grades and a certificate in early childhood education that shows you can work with kids as young as those in kindergarten or even preschool. In addition to required classes, you must also do a fieldwork experience and take the PRAXIS exam before you can graduate. The university designed this program to help students complete an education degree in four years. You can use your degree to work as a teacher in a preschool or elementary school or use your skills to enter a graduate program.

If you love the idea of becoming a teacher but prefer working with students of a younger age, you should look closely at these top programs. Louisiana colleges can help you work with preschool kids up through older grades. The top accredited education degree programs in Louisiana can help you become a great teacher.